In June 2014 Shannonwatch made a written and oral submissions to the Petitions Committee to seek an investigation of the use of Shannon Airport and Irish airspace for the transit of US armed troops and cargo, and for the refuelling of CIA associated aircraft involved in extraordinary rendition. [Download]

In May 2012 Shannonwatch made a submission to Ireland’s fourth Periodic Report under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This submission focuses specifically on Article 7 under which Ireland has an obligation to ensure that no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel,inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. [Download]

U.S. military use of Shannon Airport and Irish airspace costs the Irish state in excess of €4 million euro a year. This is as a result of the Garda policing arrangements at the airport, the use of the Defence Forces to provide additional security, and air traffic subsidies to the U.S. military. When once-off equipment costs such as special security fencing are taken intoaccount the figure is likely to be much higher. [Download]

This Shannonwatch report to the United Nations Universal Periodic Review of IRELAND addresses two main areas of concern. These are Ireland’s role in the U.S. rendition programme and the transit of munitions, weapons and armed soldiers through Irish airspace and territory. In addition to Ireland’s human rights obligations, it recognises the State’s responsibilities as outlined in Article 2 of the Charter of the United Nations, the Geneva Conventions and other instruments of international humanitarian law, and the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907. [Download]

Evidence Presented to An Garda Siochana in Relation to Suspected Breaches of National and International Laws at Shannon Airport

On Friday 18th March Shannonwatch delivered two full wheelbarrow loads of documentation relating to the misuse of Shannon Airport to the Gardai at Shannon. These three documents provide an overview of the evidence presented.

Although this report is primarily about the use of Shannon airport by CIA planes, it should be noted that Knock, Dublin, Kerry, Sligo and Derry airports are also known to have been used by these planes albeit to a far lesser extent. Known and suspected CIA planes are first listed, before being followed by details of the plane type, the source of the information, the owner, and other relevant comments including links to specific “rendition” cases. A large appendix contains the publicly available flight history for each plane taken from a number of sources for completeness. Some of these planes are no longer in use, have changed registration numbers, or their flight logs are no longer available to the public. Where current flight logs are available they are included here. [Download full report]

Irish Involvement in Iraq War and Occupation and in Transport of Prisoners for Torture, at Shannon by a delegation of peace activists: Edward Horgan, Mary Kelly, Tim Hourigan and Deirdre Morgan. Date: 20 December 2005 [Download]

High Court case between Edward Horgan, Plaintiff and An Taoiseach, The Minister For Foreign Affairs, The Minister For Transport, The Government Of Ireland, Ireland And The Attorney General, Defendants.